We have a wonderful dog. Her name is KD (stands for “K9 Delight”) She’s a pit bull/chocolate lab/dobie mix…or so we think. She is quiet, self-possessed, sedate and loving. She loves dogs, cats and people. We got her when she was about 8 months old. She was a little clumsy, about 35 lb, huge paws. She is now 55 lb, her paws are normal size and she’s 8 1/2 years old. Still acts like a puppy almost every afternoon between 4 - 6, her play time. We play tug-of-war, or throw balls, or just tussle. She used to love long walks - now she’s happy with two or three 20 minute walks a day. She’s a good traveler and loves car rides. She just wants to be with her peeps.
Sadly, KD is a VERY anxious dog. It started in 2017 during a horrendous thunderstorm, about a month before Hurricane Irma hit. She started having panic attacks: initially tied to thunder and loud noises but eventually, she’d get them out of the blue, with no discernable cause. We tried tiring her out at the dog park, we tried a thunder vest, we had the house inspected for vermin, my wife even bought sage and did a whole sage burning ritual to cleanse the house of demons, ghouls, ghosts and dybbuks. Nothing helped. KD would have three or four attacks a day. She’d pant, tuck her tail, drool, paw at the door, hide in corners, run around the room - it was a pathetic sight. It definitely had something to do with the house though. I did a trial run at a hotel one night: just booked a room and took her with me. She hopped on the spare bed and snored happily through the night.
She was put on medication which helped some but didn’t quite do the trick. Luckily for us - but mainly for KD - my stepdaughter agreed to to take her and so KD was rehomed to a house with two young people, a 125 lb Rottweiler named Beau, and a skinny cat called Milo. Within a week or two, it was obvious she was doing better. She had her big “brother” around for company and, perhaps equally important, my stepdaughter’s house is somewhat darker, with lower ceilings. KD’s problems started shortly after we had moved from a small condo to a much larger house with tall ceilings and steps to upstairs bedrooms. She seemed happier in a more confined space.
She has now been with my stepdaughter and her family longer than she had been with us. She’s on regular meds still and she still gets very panicky during thunderstorms - which in Florida means every day throughout the summer. But the rest of the time, she is her calm, self-contained self. KD is the only dog that I’ve ever owned who doesn’t run to the door when I come in. She lifts her head from her comfy position on the sofa, wags her tail like crazy and waits for me to come to her and scratch her behind the ears.
Lately, KD has been coming back to our home for visits. The house no longer seems to scare her but of course, thunderstorms are no different here than in Orlando. A few months ago, I had a brainstorm (my brainstorms are not accompanied by thunder). It’s not a cure but vastly preferable to seeing her suffer inside the house, pant and run around in circles. As soon as a storm starts, I pop her in the car and we go driving. I like driving in the rain almost as much as driving at night (as long as I don’t come near an Interstate) I turn up Frank Sinatra full blast, “Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away” echoes through the car almost as loud as the thunder boomers outside. I’m belting it out along with Frank, KD puts her front paws on the center console, panting slightly and staring ahead into the rain. Fortunately, storms only last about 30 minutes and we are usually able to ride out the worst of it. When we get in, she drinks a full bowl of water and plops down on the cool kitchen floor, hoping I’ll make a ham sandwich and share.
Old Blue Eyes knew very well he possessed magic and could hold any Vegas venue spellbound for hours on end, but I doubt he knew his magic worked on canines too. Or maybe it only works on the very smart, very sensitive ones
Aw, that is so touching. I remember you telling me about her.
KD is fortunate to have you. Thanks for sharing!